WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama, calling himself a “hopeless optimist,” said Friday he still thinks that Congress can pass a deal to avert the approaching “fiscal cliff,” and he urged both parties to craft at least a minimal package that he can sign into law before Jan. 1.

Appearing in the White House briefing room after a day of recriminations over failure to reach a deal, Obama said, “As of today, I am still ready and willing to get a comprehensive package done.” He said he remains committed to the goal of reducing the deficit, whether it is done “all at once” or in separate steps.

But with time running out, Obama called on Congress to work on at least a package that prevents tax rates from rising on 98 percent of Americans, protects unemployment insurance and “lays the groundwork for deficit reduction.” He said he has asked congressional leaders to come up with a plan to be voted on next week and that he can sign into law by year end.

“That is an achievable goal that could be done in 10 days,” Obama said. “Call me a hopeless optimist, but I actually still think we can get it done,” he added later.

Obama said he hoped the time off for the holidays would give lawmakers cooler heads.

“I offered to compromise with Republicans in Congress,” he said. “I met them halfway on taxes, and I met them more than halfway on spending.” Obama said he was also hoping that congressional leaders would come up with a plan to achieve a larger amount of deficit reduction next year.

The White House later announced that Obama and the first family would depart for Hawaii “this evening.” The statement said he does not have any public events scheduled there and made no mention of when he would return.

Before he spoke, Obama met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., at the White House, and he talked on the phone with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Earlier Friday, Boehner sought to shift responsibility to Obama and the Democratic-controlled Senate to reach an agreement to avert a series of spending cuts and tax-rate increases after his fellow Republicans delivered a stunning rebuke to Boehner’s own plan to raise taxes on those making more than $1 million.

At a morning news conference about 14 hours after he canceled a vote on his proposal, known as “Plan B,” Boehner vowed to continue negotiating with the White House to avert the “fiscal cliff.” He said his plan failed because many of his fellow Republicans did not want to be perceived to be raising any taxes.

Boehner said he continues to favor a grand bargain with the president that would set the stage for a dramatic overhaul of the tax code and significant changes in federal entitlement programs.

“How we get there, God only knows,” he said.

But Boehner noted that the House has already passed a bill embodying the Republican position that all Americans should be spared a tax increase in January. He said it was now the Senate’s turn to act. “I don’t want taxes to go up; Republicans don’t want taxes to go up,” Boehner said. “But we only run the House. Democrats continue to run Washington.”

Pressed on whether he should be concerned about his losing his leadership of the House, Boehner flatly said: “No, I am not.”

“I have told my colleagues this: If you do the right things every day for the right reasons, the right things will happen,” Boehner said. “And while we may have not been able to get the votes last night to avert 99.81 percent of the tax increases, I don’t think — they weren’t taking that out on me. They were dealing with the perception that somebody might accuse them of raising taxes.”

More in News

Ford Motor Co. is going ahead with plans to move small-car production from the U.S. to Mexico despite President-elect Donald Trump’s recent threats to impose tariffs on companies that move work abroad.

Donald Trump’s administration, already seen as the wealthiest in modern history, is about to get even richer when Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s Gary Cohn is named the president-elect’s chief economic policy adviser.

Denver authorities have “red-tagged” the Rhinoceropolis artists’ space that was evacuated in frigid temperatures on Thursday night, citing a number of fire code violations and the fact that five people were living in a building that isn’t zoned for residents.